uptake

[ uhp-teyk ]

/ ˈʌpˌteɪk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for uptake on Thesaurus.com

noun

apprehension; understanding or comprehension; mental grasp: quick on the uptake.

an act or instance of taking up; a lifting: the uptake of fertilizer by machines.

Also called take-up. Machinery. a pipe or passage leading upward from below, as for conducting smoke or a current of air.

Physiology. absorption.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of uptake

1810–20; up- + take; compare take-up

Words nearby uptake

upsweep, upswell, upswept, upswing, upsy-daisy, uptake, uptalk, uptear, up-tempo, upter, up the creek

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use uptake in a sentence

That’s such a giant amount that we’ll almost certainly need to use a variety of methods to get anywhere close, including planting trees and increasing carbon uptake in agricultural soils.
Asbestos could be a powerful weapon against climate change (you read that right)|James Temple|October 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Woodall is exploring asbestos sites because he hopes to find one that might work well for a subsequent field trial to evaluate ways of accelerating carbon uptake.
Asbestos could be a powerful weapon against climate change (you read that right)|James Temple|October 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review
For now, Scroll has produced barely any revenue for its partners, a slow uptake that has made some media executives question how much to promote it on their sites.
Inside Tony Haile’s expedition to (help) save the news business |Steven Perlberg|July 27, 2020|Digiday
If you had asked me to guess all the ways that a program like that could fail, it would’ve taken me a while to guess that you simply didn’t get parental uptake.
Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet) (Ep. 405)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 13, 2020|Freakonomics

In addition to the pharma manufacturers, and distributors, and advocates, there’s one more institution that played a very large role in the massive uptake of prescription opioids.
The Opioid Tragedy, Part 1: “We’ve Addicted an Entire Generation” (Ep. 402)|Stephen J. Dubner|January 16, 2020|Freakonomics
But it shows that the Romney team is pretty quick on the uptake.
Romney's Campaign Is Smart|Michael Tomasky|May 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It is too early to tell, but we are hopeful to see if there is an uptake in sales given this recent exposure.
Etch a Sketch Sales Boom After Romney Aide Gaffe|Daniel Stone|March 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Those drugs are SSRIs—serotonin uptake inhibitors—and they spin their mood magic by elevating levels of serotonin in the brain.
Anti-Depressant Nation|Adam Hanft|October 5, 2008|DAILY BEAST
"Say 'at it is," cried Jess, who was quicker in the uptake than her daughter.
A Window in Thrums|J. M. Barrie
And in that look old Fanny, slow in the uptake though she undoubtedly was, read a tremendous piece of news.
December Love|Robert Hichens
The radiobiologist then attempts to interpret the accumulated evidence of uptake of radionuclides.
Atoms, Nature, and Man|Neal O. Hines
Comparison of the resulting oxygen uptake with glycerol and with glycerol plus catalase is shown in Figure 11.
Preservation of Bull Semen at Sub-Zero Temperatures|N. L. VanDemark
He appreciated the fact that the other was, to use an American colloquialism, "quick on the uptake."
The Shrieking Pit|Arthur J. Rees

British Dictionary definitions for uptake

uptake

/ (ˈʌpˌteɪk) /

noun

a pipe, shaft, etc, that is used to convey smoke or gases, esp one that connects a furnace to a chimney

mining another term for upcast (def. 2)

taking up or lifting up

the act of accepting or taking up something on offer or available

quick on the uptake informal quick to understand or learn

slow on the uptake informal slow to understand or learn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for uptake

uptake

[ ŭp′tāk′ ]

The absorption by a tissue of a substance, such as a nutrient, and its permanent or temporary retention.

Other Idioms and Phrases with uptake

uptake

see on the uptake.

uptake

Origin of uptake

Words nearby uptake

Words related to uptake

How to use uptake in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for uptake

Medical definitions for uptake

Other Idioms and Phrases with uptake